Template:In the news/highlight

Flag of the Solomon Islands

• Construction on the Freedom Tower, a replacement for the World Trade Center, begins in New York City.

• Snyder Rini resigns as Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, avoiding a motion of no confidence in parliament.

As King Gyanendra of Nepal continues to reform his country's government in response to weeks of pro-democratic protests, Girija Prasad Koirala is appointed as Prime Minister of Nepal.

Three explosions hit Dahab, a tourist town on Sinai Peninsula, Egypt.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lifts a 27-year ban against women attending public sporting events in Iran.

Darwin, Australia is spared a projected direct hit by Cyclone Monica, one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere.